Princess Promotion

In the main hall, Lord Xiao looked at Emperor Qi, who was leaning on the throne in an undignified manner, and then looked at his colleagues around him who usually behaved in a dignified manner and were now either lying or squatting.

If it weren't for the relatively neat official uniform on his body, he would have been no different from the refugees on the street wrapped in a blanket.

Emperor Qi: "I am really curious, who provided the intelligence information to Chu Guang?"

Xiao Ge Lao: "How could I possibly know something that Your Majesty doesn't know?"

Emperor Qi: "For so many years, I have been watching the Duke's Mansion like a hen incubating eggs, never taking my eyes off it for a moment."

Ever since Yao Chuguang returned to the imperial capital and was able to easily find evidence to use against the censors, Emperor Qi realized that there must be someone behind Yao Chuguang helping her collect intelligence.

The Emperor of Qi could not guarantee anything else, but he was confident in one thing: this person had no connection with the Duke's Mansion, but might have some connection with Yao Chuguang.

This person can easily move among the ministers and collect their secrets.

However, the Emperor of Qi screened all the officials in the court, both big and small, but still could not find this person.

When Yao Chuguang returned to the main hall, he found that the hall, which had been quiet before, was now noisy.

Yao Chuguang asked the guard on duty: "What are they arguing about in there?"

Guard: "They are looking for your people, Princess."

Yao Chuguangjue's group of people really had no awareness of being hostages at all, and were still playing Werewolf in there.

Moreover, Yao Chuguang looked back at Lin Wan. The werewolf was still outside, and it was useless for a group of good people like them to make a fuss.

Lin Wan saw Yao Chuguang lying on the crack of the door and listening, commenting from time to time.

Half an hour later, Yao Chuguang rubbed his legs, which were a little sore from standing, and walked into the hall.

Emperor Qi saw the woman following Yao Chuguang, then looked at Minister Wang in the crowd. Naturally, he did not miss the surprised expression on Minister Wang's face.

All the clues suddenly found their end. Emperor Qi never thought that the person was actually "her". No wonder she had not been found.

The Emperor of Qi seemed to have thought of something and suddenly burst into laughter.

The Emperor of Qi wiped the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath: "Back then, before my father died, he called me to his bedside and told me that an emperor could be without outstanding talents, superb martial arts, or even the ability to judge people.

These talents are dispensable to an emperor, only the people working under him need them.

The throne is cold, so the person sitting on it must be even colder-blooded than the throne itself, because a warm person sitting on it will be frozen to death by the throne."

Emperor Qi looked at Yao Chuguang carefully as if he was meeting her for the first time. "I really didn't know you had kept it a secret from me and everyone else for so many years."

"An eight-year-old child has such scheming, you are more cruel than me..."

Yao Chuguang looked at Emperor Qi, who looked as if he had seen through the truth, and thought that sometimes smart people's imaginations could be so outrageous.

Emperor Qi: "Back when you were choosing a study partner, you looked down on the daughters of princes and nobles, and insisted on choosing a girl from a poor earl's mansion. When you found out her name wasn't on the list you submitted, you even returned it to the earl's mansion and asked them to submit a new list."

Yao Chuguang nodded, indicating that she was the one who did it.

Emperor Qi: "At that time, I thought this was a retreat by the Duke's Mansion. Now I think your choice is the right one. The other noble ladies who served as study companions could only strengthen the relationship, but they would not be of any use at a critical moment."

But Lin Wan is different. Her mother died young and her father remarried and didn't care about her at all. Yao Chuguang is her only support.

Only such a person would go all the way with Yao Chuguang, because she has no way out.

Emperor Qi looked at Lin Wan with some sympathy: "I really didn't expect you to be so cruel that you could even take advantage of a friend you grew up with. You used drugs to destroy Lin Wan's innocence, making everyone think she is a shameless slut.

In order to marry into the Wang family, I exchanged your friendship for a marriage certificate. From now on, you will no longer be friends and will have no further contact."

"Lin Wan, are you willing to be used by her?" Emperor Qi asked Lin Wan.

This is also why Emperor Qi never thought that Lin Wan would be the one who had been helping Yao Chuguang behind the scenes.

Given the relationship between Lin Wan and Yao Chuguang, if she married into that aristocratic family, Emperor Qi would automatically classify her as Duke Li's camp.

In the Wang family, Old Man Wang is in charge of the Ministry of Works. As a veteran of three dynasties, he is considered to be in a high position and has great power. However, because he is in the Ministry of Works, although he has a say in the court, his position has always been neutral and he does not participate in party disputes.

Wang Liwen, the eldest grandson of the Wang family, is tall and handsome. He is a rigid person who devotes himself to carpentry. His attainments in poetry and calligraphy can be said to be at the bottom among the children of aristocratic families.

Apart from his face, this man is more or less neither high nor low for the noble ladies of the imperial capital.

In terms of family background, talent and Xiao Liangcai, the grandson of Lord Xiao, he is the perfect husband that the noble ladies in the imperial capital dream of.

Three generations of the Wang family worked in the Ministry of Works, and had connections with sensitive areas such as the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue.

If Lin Wan had married into the Wang family in a normal way, there would not be much fear, but the Emperor of Qi would have been more or less alert.

But Lin Wan used the worst means. If Yao Chuguang had not backed her up and obtained a marriage certificate for her, Lin Wan would never have been able to marry into the Wang family.

Looking back now, it was all a trap, just to make outsiders think that they had broken up.

It can not only reassure the Emperor of Qi, but also provide him with the opportunity to access the core secrets of the court.

In the past few years since his marriage, Lin Wan has endured everyone's ridicule, but he has never missed the banquets hosted by the ladies.

Many times, the way to collect intelligence is very simple and trivial, just seeing what the lady is talking about at the banquet and who she is close to.

There is no wall that is impenetrable, just like the Censor Wang who always boasted of his integrity. Although his wife dressed simply, she even looked a bit shabby when she stood with a group of noble ladies wearing gold and silver at a banquet.

But if you look closely, you will find that although Mrs. Wang, the Censor, is dressed simply, she never wears the same clothes or jewelry on any occasion she attends.

A lady who can wear new clothes and jewelry every day will be short of money at home.

No matter how meticulous an official in the court is, his wife and family can be as meticulous as him.

Lin Wan didn't hesitate to answer Emperor Qi's question: "Yes."

Emperor Qi: "Is it because you have no other choice?"

Lin Wan: "You are both right and wrong. No one has ever given me the power to choose. It was only since I met Ah Chu that I had my own choice."

Yao Chuguang interrupted, "We'll talk about this kind of trivial matter later. Back then, the situation forced Lin Wan to marry. If she can survive this time, then divorce her if she doesn't like her. That's not a big deal."

Everyone looked at Yao Chuguang and then at Lin Wan in shock, as if to say, is this a trivial matter?

Lin Wan: "That's right, business is more important now."

Yao Chuguang: "This is my first time doing this kind of bribery. I don't have much experience. Do you have enough money?"

Lin Wan took off the pouch from her waist and said, "I came here in a hurry this time, so I didn't pack much."

Yao Chuguang: "It's a little short. It might be too late to go back and get it. Let's gather some here."

When Yu Zhijian arrived at the hall, he saw a strange scene: a guard was holding a box and extorting money from the ministers one by one.

Ministers········

Yu Zhijian was a little confused: "Princess, what are you doing..."

Yao Chuguang: "I also have a case here, and I want to jump the queue and let you try it first."

Yu Zhijian held a box full of silver coins. He used to think that accepting bribes was shameful, but this was money extorted from ministers, and for a moment Yu Zhijian was shaken.

In the end, Yu Zhijian returned the silver to Yao Chuguang and said, "This is my duty. I wonder if there are any files or documents for the case the princess mentioned."

Lin Wan took out the document, raised it above her head, and knelt before Yu Zhijian, saying, "I wish to sue my father. He schemed to marry my mother for money, then caused her death in childbirth. He then sent assassins disguised as bandits, and in one night, 143 members of my maternal family were killed by the sword."

She finally reached this path.

When Lin Wan first learned the truth, she felt that her life was a joke and that her biological father was the murderer of her mother.

At that time, Yao Chuguang said to Lin Wan, you actually recognize that old man as your father?

From then on, Lin Wan was no longer confused.

Lin Wan lost her mother when she was born, so it is unrealistic to say that she has deep feelings for her mother.

Many times, when the whip is not on you, you will think that it is just a matter of a few whips.

They should never have attacked her only relative, Aunt Liu.

Although she often didn't have enough food or warm clothes when she was a child, she had a warm home as long as Aunt Liu was around.

At that time, my biggest hope was to grow up quickly, find someone to marry, and take Aunt Liu away from the Earl's Mansion.

Later, Aunt Liu died. Just because I wanted to buy her a thick coat, I took the money I had saved with great difficulty and went out to buy it, but I didn't expect to meet someone from the mansion.

The maid was not allowed to leave the house without permission. She was beaten with a stick and had no money to buy medicine to treat her injuries, so she died after a few days.

In this world, if a maid makes a mistake, even if the master is in the wrong, he will just fine her some money and let the matter go.

Lin Wan felt that it was not enough. Aunt Liu could not die in such an unclear way. The Earl's Mansion owed them justice.

Yu Zhijian looked at the slightly yellowed petition and found nothing wrong with the testimony and physical evidence inside.

Yu Zhijian had also heard some rumors about the Earl's Mansion. When he heard them, he felt that the death of the Marquis' ex-wife and her family was very strange.

In the early years, there were petitions submitted to the Ministry of Justice, but the person who submitted the petition was never found. How could the trial be held without a victim?

In fact, even if there was a victim, the case could not be tried. Although the Earl's Mansion was in decline, it was still related to the royal family.

Nowadays, as long as the royal family members are not committing a serious crime like treason, they have to consider the reputation of the royal family.

If you really mess with a big shot, it's usually resolved privately. Those cases without backing tend to be made small, and big things become small.

Yu Zhijian said with some embarrassment, "There's nothing wrong with the files and testimony, but according to the laws of the Great Qi, a son cannot sue his father."

Yao Chuguang didn't even think twice: "Then change the law. Laws are made by humans, and since they are made by humans, there will be mistakes. Shouldn't they be changed if there are mistakes?"

Xiao Ge Lao: "I disagree."

Yao Chuguang: "What do you disagree with? If the parents are evil, then the children must follow them and become evil too."

Xiao Ge Lao was blocked and panicked: "That's not what I meant, but the ancestral law..."

Yao Chuguang did not continue to nag Xiao Ge Lao, but instead stopped Xiao Ge Lao from nagging with just one sentence.

"I'm rebelling."

It was the first time that the ministers saw someone calling a traitor so confidently.

Xiao Ge Lao said angrily, "Okay, if you want to change, then the law of going over the top to sue an official must be followed. There is no order without rules."

In the current situation, Lord Xiao stood up to oppose the amendment of the law, not because of the problem of the law, but because he opposed the amendment itself.

There is a saying that goes, "Aristocratic families are permanent, but emperors are transient."

In fact, no matter who becomes the emperor, it doesn’t make much difference to the Xiao family.

Only some families with shallow roots would need to rely on the dragon to consolidate their family's status.

Judging from the current situation, although Yao Chuguang has temporarily captured the imperial capital, the disparity in military strength is too great and he cannot resist the 100,000 imperial troops at all.

As long as Commander Wu can ensure the safety of Emperor Qi, the imperial capital can be recaptured immediately.

To be disrespectful, even if the Emperor of Qi was gone, Commander Wu could immediately support a prince to ascend the throne.

As for Duke Li, the deterrent effect is greater than the practical significance.

Duke Li is still fighting against the barbarians, and who can say for sure about things like war?

It is common for this war to last for a year or two. Even if we win, there is not enough food and supplies to support the large army's long journey.

Unless Duke Li can miraculously defeat the barbarians in just a few days, and then allocate part of the troops to make a long-distance raid back.

But even so, it would take more than a month to reach the imperial capital.

So in the eyes of everyone, Yao Chuguang could never be the one standing to the end.

Now everyone is more inclined to believe that if Yao Chuguang kills Emperor Qi, supporting that prince to ascend the throne will be in the best interests of everyone.

But Yao Chuguang did not touch Emperor Qi. If Yao Chuguang was unable to kill Emperor Qi in the end, then those who had taken position in advance would not be able to escape Emperor Qi's reckoning.

This is why Commander Wu did not dare to attack directly. If Emperor Qi survived, he would definitely be the one to die.

Now we are not afraid of the death of Emperor Qi, but we are afraid that Emperor Qi will not die.

However, Lord Xiao has a different opinion on this. From Yicheng to now, all these things have happened.

Let Lord Xiao know that all those who underestimated Yao Chuguang have been badly cheated.

Elder Xiao didn't believe that Yao Chuguang couldn't see this. Since he knew that the ending was certain to be death, he still rushed in.

It’s not that Elder Xiao thinks Yao Chuguang won’t do these righteous things for the people and risk his life for them.

But he felt that Yao Chuguang would find a way out in the desperate situation, no matter how slim the chance was, it was still a way out.

Because Yao Chuguang is not the kind of person who would surrender just because there is no hope.

Even if there is a slight possibility that Yao Chuguang will ascend the throne, Lord Xiao cannot allow her to tamper with the law at will.

If Yao Chuguang really takes that position one day, his silence today will leave hidden dangers for him in the future.

Change one law today and feel free to change others tomorrow.

Elder Xiao knew that he couldn't confront Yao Chuguang head-on now, so he could only reject this method in a roundabout way.

The torture of rolling nails has existed since ancient times, but few people have dared to do it for hundreds of years.

Even if Lin Wan really dared to go rolling on the nail board, he would still be seriously injured and might not be able to survive if he was unlucky.

Lord Xiao doesn't care about the life or death of the Earl's Mansion, but the law cannot be changed and this is the bottom line.

Then Yao Chuguang let Elder Xiao see what it meant to cross the line.

Yao Chuguang directly pulled in the entire Ministry of Justice team, put a knife to their necks, and asked the calendar officials to quickly complete all the procedures. Soon the complaint was back in Yu Zhijian's hands.

Yao Chuguang patted Lin Wan's shoulder and said, "Time is tight now. We can't let you go through all the formalities of beating the drum to report the news. If we lose later, your father will escape unscathed. So it's safer to fight quickly."

This is as common as killing a few chickens on the street.

"Master Xiao!"

"Oh no, Elder Xiao has fainted."

Elder Xiao was finally so angry at Yao Chuguang that he fainted.